Who Is Books List Featuring Important People for Kids

Of course. Here is the detailed cluster article, crafted to your specifications.

Finding the right biography for a young reader can feel daunting, but a comprehensive who is books list is the perfect starting point to unlock a world of history. With their signature bobble-head covers and accessible storytelling, the Who Was? series has become a staple in classrooms and home libraries. But with over 250 titles, where do you even begin?
The key isn’t to just look at a massive, alphabetized list. It’s about matching the right historical figure to the right kid’s curiosity. This guide breaks down the collection into curated, interest-based lists to help you find the perfect book to spark a lifelong love of learning.

At a Glance: What You’ll Find Below

Curated Lists by Interest: Find books organized by themes like scientists, artists, world leaders, and athletes.
A Peek Inside: Get a feel for the series with spotlights on a few fan-favorite titles.
Navigating the Series: Understand the difference between “Who Was?,” “Who Is?,” “What Was?,” and “Where Is?”.
The Complete Chronological List: For collectors and history buffs, a full list of titles by publication year.
Quick Answers: Get straightforward answers to common questions about the series.

First, Understanding the “Who HQ” Universe

Before diving into the names, it helps to know how the series is structured. While most people know the “Who Was?” books, the collection, published by Penguin Workshop, has expanded into a larger universe known as “Who HQ.” For a complete overview of the series’ educational approach and charming illustration style, Learn about the Who Was series.
Here’s a quick breakdown:

Who Was?: Biographies of historical figures who are no longer living (e.g., Who Was Abraham Lincoln?).
Who Is?: Biographies of important figures who are still alive (e.g., Who Is Michelle Obama?).
What Was?: Books focused on major historical events (e.g., What Was the Gold Rush?).
Where Is?: Guides to significant places and landmarks (e.g., Where Is the Great Wall?).
This article focuses specifically on the “Who Was?” and “Who Is?” titles, which introduce children to the people who shaped our world.

Finding the Perfect Book: Curated Lists for Every Interest

Instead of scrolling through hundreds of titles, start with your child’s passion. Is she obsessed with science experiments? Does he dream of playing in the major leagues? Use these themed lists to find a biography that will instantly connect.

For the Young Scientist & Innovator

These books celebrate the thinkers, inventors, and discoverers who changed how we see and interact with the world.

Albert Einstein (2002): The genius who developed the theory of relativity.
Leonardo da Vinci (2005): The ultimate Renaissance man—artist, scientist, and inventor.
Thomas Alva Edison (2005): The prolific inventor credited with the light bulb and phonograph.
Alexander Graham Bell (2013): The inventor of the telephone.
Marie Curie (2014): A pioneering physicist and chemist who conducted groundbreaking research on radioactivity.
Isaac Newton (2014): The physicist who laid the foundations of modern classical mechanics.
George Washington Carver (2015): A scientist who discovered hundreds of uses for peanuts and other crops.
Nikola Tesla (2018): The visionary electrical engineer behind alternating current (AC).
Stephen Hawking (2019): The brilliant theoretical physicist who explored the mysteries of the universe.
Temple Grandin (2020): An animal science expert and autism spokesperson.
Neil deGrasse Tyson (2021): A famous astrophysicist and science communicator.

For the Creative Soul: Artists, Musicians & Entertainers

From classical composers to modern pop stars, this list is for kids who love music, art, film, and performance.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (2002): The child prodigy and classical composer.
The Beatles (2006): The iconic rock band that changed music forever.
Walt Disney (2009): The animator and entrepreneur who created an entertainment empire.
Jim Henson (2010): The imaginative puppeteer behind The Muppets and Sesame Street.
Frida Kahlo (2013): The celebrated Mexican painter known for her self-portraits.
Alfred Hitchcock (2014): The “Master of Suspense” and legendary film director.
Andy Warhol (2014): The leading figure in the pop art movement.
Michael Jackson (2015): The “King of Pop” and a global music icon.
Aretha Franklin (2018): The “Queen of Soul” with a powerful and influential voice.
Celia Cruz (2020): The Cuban-American singer and “Queen of Salsa.”
David Bowie (2021): The innovative and ever-changing rock star.
Taylor Swift (2024): The chart-topping singer-songwriter and global superstar.

For the Future Leader & Activist

Introduce your child to the presidents, activists, and trailblazers who fought for change and led nations.

Ben Franklin (2002): A Founding Father, inventor, and diplomat.
Helen Keller (2003): The author and activist who overcame being deaf and blind.
Anne Frank (2007): The young Jewish diarist who documented her life hiding from the Nazis.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (2007): The pivotal leader of the American civil rights movement.
Rosa Parks (2010): The civil rights activist whose defiance sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.
Nelson Mandela (2014): The anti-apartheid revolutionary and first president of South Africa.
Susan B. Anthony (2014): A leader in the women’s suffrage movement.
Malala Yousafzai (2015): The Pakistani activist for female education and Nobel Prize laureate.
Alexander Hamilton (2017): A Founding Father and the first Secretary of the Treasury.
Harriet Tubman (2019): The courageous conductor on the Underground Railroad.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2019): The trailblazing Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
John Lewis (2023): A giant of the civil rights movement and longtime congressman.

For the Sports Fanatic

These biographies cover the legends of the court, field, and ring who broke records and inspired millions.

Babe Ruth (2012): The larger-than-life baseball player known as the “Sultan of Swat.”
Jackie Robinson (2010): The first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era.
Muhammad Ali (2014): The legendary boxer and activist, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champions.
Roberto Clemente (2014): The beloved baseball Hall of Famer and humanitarian.
Jesse Owens (2015): The track-and-field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Pelé (2018): The Brazilian soccer legend and one of the greatest players of all time.
Michael Jordan (2019): The iconic basketball superstar who led the Chicago Bulls to six championships.
Simone Biles (2023): The most decorated American gymnast in history.
LeBron James (2023): One of the greatest basketball players in the history of the sport.

A Spotlight on a Few Fan Favorites

To give you a better sense of the storytelling, here’s a closer look at what your child will discover in some of the most popular books from the series.

Who Was Amelia Earhart? (2002)
This book chronicles the life of the pioneering aviator who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Readers learn about her record-breaking flights, including her attempt to circumnavigate the globe, which ended in her mysterious disappearance in 1937.
Who Was Clara Barton? (2014)
Young readers discover Clarissa “Clara” Barton, a teacher and nurse who became the first woman to hold a U.S. government job. The biography details her incredible work on the front lines of the Union Army, where she earned the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield,” and her later efforts to found the American Red Cross.
Who Were the Brothers Grimm? (2015)
This title tells the story of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, born in Germany in the 1780s. It explains how the brothers meticulously researched and published centuries-old folk stories in their “Children’s and Household Tales,” popularizing timeless fairy tales like “Hansel and Gretel” and “Little Red Riding Hood.”

For the Collectors and Chronologists: The Complete List

For those who want to see every title or track down a specific book, here is the comprehensive “Who Was?” and “Who Is?” list, organized by year of publication.
2002

Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Who Was Annie Oakley?
Who Was Ben Franklin?
Who Was Albert Einstein?
Who Was Sacagawea?
Who Was Harry Houdini?
Who Was Maria Tallchief?
Who Was Amelia Earhart?
2003
Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
Who Was Helen Keller?
2004
Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt?
Who Was Mark Twain?
Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?
Who Was Ronald Reagan?
Who Was Louis Armstrong?
Who Was John F. Kennedy?
2005
Who Was Charles Darwin?
Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?
Who Was Thomas Alva Edison?
2006
Who Were the Beatles?
Who Was King Tut?
Who Was Daniel Boone?
Who Was William Shakespeare?
2007
Who Was Anne Frank?
Who Was Marco Polo?
Who Was Elvis Presley?
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
2008
Who Was Abraham Lincoln?
Who Was Neil Armstrong?
Who Was Queen Elizabeth?
2009
Who Was George Washington?
Who Was Pablo Picasso?
Who Was Walt Disney?
Who Is Barack Obama?
Who Was Claude Monet?
Who Was Franklin Roosevelt?
2010
Who Was Jim Henson?
Who Was Jackie Robinson?
Who Was Rosa Parks?
2011
Who Was Dr. Seuss?
Who Was Paul Revere?
2012
Who Was Steve Jobs?
Who Was Babe Ruth?
Who Is J.K. Rowling?
Who Was Roald Dahl?
Who Is Jane Goodall?
Who Was Maurice Sendak?
2013
Who Is Bill Gates?
Who Was Sally Ride?
Who Was Christopher Columbus?
Who Is Bob Dylan?
Who Is Michelle Obama?
Who Was Alexander Graham Bell?
Who Was Davy Crockett?
Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?
Who Was Frida Kahlo?
Who Is Steven Spielberg?
Who Was Milton Hershey?
Who Was Ernest Shackleton?
2014
Who Was Louis Braille?
Who Was Nelson Mandela?
Who Was Abigail Adams?
Who Is Dolly Parton?
Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?
Who Was Bruce Lee?
Who Is George Lucas?
Who Were the Wright Brothers?
Who Was Ulysses S. Grant?
Who Was Robert E. Lee?
Who Was Clara Barton?
Who Was Queen Victoria?
Who Was Muhammad Ali?
Who Was Marie Curie?
Who Was Henry Ford?
Who Was Roberto Clemente?
Who Was Susan B. Anthony?
Who Was Rachel Carson?
Who Was Julius Caesar?
Who Was Isaac Newton?
Who Was Gandhi?
Who Was Stan Lee?
Who Was Alfred Hitchcock?
Who Was Charles Dickens?
Who Was Genghis Khan?
Who Was Sitting Bull?
Who Was Betsy Ross?
Who Was Andy Warhol?
Who Is Gloria Steinem?
Who Was Frederick Douglass?
2015
Who Was Galileo?
Who Is Wayne Gretzky?
Who Was Robert Ripley?
Who Was Jesus?
Who Was Jacques Cousteau?
Who Was Harriet Beecher Stowe?
Who Was Winston Churchill?
Who Was Mother Teresa?
Who Was Steve Irwin?
Who Was Woodrow Wilson?
Who Was Beatrix Potter?
Who Was J. R. R. Tolkien?
Who Is Richard Branson?
Who Was Edgar Allan Poe?
Who Were the Brothers Grimm?
Who Was Jesse Owens?
Who Is Malala Yousafzai?
Who Is Derek Jeter?
Who Is Jeff Kinney?
Who Is (Your Name Here)?
Who Was Julia Child?
Who Was Marie Antoinette?
Who Was Seabiscuit?
Who Was Blackbeard?
Who Was George Washington Carver?
Who Was Sojourner Truth?
Who Was Michael Jackson?
Who Was Frank Lloyd Wright?
2016
Who Was Maya Angelou?
Who Was Lucille Ball?
Who Was Joan of Arc?
Who Is Elton John?
Who Was Jules Verne?
Who Was Alexander the Great?
Who Was Milton Bradley?
Who Is Hillary Clinton?
Who Is Bruce Springsteen?
Who Is Stevie Wonder?
Who Were The Three Stooges?
Who Was Jacqueline Kennedy?
Who Was Charlie Chaplin?
2017
Who Is Sonia Sotomayor?
Who Was Cesar Chavez?
Who Was Princess Diana?
Who Are the Rolling Stones?
Who Was Bob Marley?
Who Was Pete Seeger?
Who Was Andrew Jackson?
Who Is Pope Francis?
Who Are Venus and Serena Williams?
Who Was Alexander Hamilton?
Who Was Fidel Castro?
Who Was Lewis Carroll?
Who Is Ralph Lauren?
Who Was Coretta Scott King?
Who Was Chuck Jones?
Who Was Jane Austen?
2018
Who Was Henry VIII?
Who Was Booker T. Washington?
Who Is the Dalai Lama?
Who Was Aretha Franklin?
Who Was Leif Erikson?
Who Is Pele?
Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?
Who Was Selena?
Who Is Judy Blume?
Who Is Bono?
Who Was Nikola Tesla?
Who Was Napoleon?
2019
Who Is Michael Jordan?
Who Was H. J. Heinz?
Who Was Norman Rockwell?
Who Was Stephen Hawking?
Who Was Che Guevara?
Who Was P. T. Barnum?
Who Is Oprah Winfrey?
Who Is R. L. Stine?
Who Was Harriet Tubman?
Who Was Mister Rogers?
Who Was Sam Walton?
Who Is Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
2020
Who Is Jackie Chan?
Who Was Richard Nixon?
Who Is Temple Grandin?
Who Was Harvey Milk?
Who Was Ida B. Wells?
Who Is David Beckham?
Who Was Celia Cruz?
Who Was Benedict Arnold?
Who Was Nellie Bly?
Who Was Confucius?
Who Was Duke Ellington?
2021
Who Was Catherine the Great?
Who Was Walt Whitman?
Who Was Levi Strauss?
Who Is RuPaul?
Who Is Neil deGrasse Tyson?
Who Was A. A. Milne?
Who Was Juliette Gordon Low?
Who Were the Navajo Code Talkers?
Who Was David Bowie?
Who Were Stanley and Livingstone?
Who Was Queen Elizabeth II?
2022
Who Is Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
Who Was Charles Schulz?
Who Was Ernest Hemingway?
Who Is Jimmy Carter?
Who Was Johnny Cash?
Who Was Ponce de León?
Who Was E. B. White?
Who Was Georgia O’Keeffe?
Who Is Shaquille O’Neal?
Who Was Michelangelo?
Who Was Alex Trebek?
2023
Who Was Salvador Dalí?
Who Is LeBron James?
Who Was John McCain?
Who Is Simone Biles?
Who Was Jim Thorpe?
Who Was Frank Sinatra?
Who Was John Lewis?
2024
Who Is Taylor Swift?
Who Is Cynthia Erivo?
Who Was Shirley Chisholm?

Quick Answers to Common Questions

What is the recommended age range for the Who Was? books?
The publisher generally recommends these books for readers aged 8 to 12 (grades 3-7). However, their engaging illustrations and straightforward text make them excellent read-alouds for younger children (ages 6-7) and accessible reads for older kids who may be reluctant readers.
Are the books historically accurate?
Yes, the books are well-researched and strive for historical accuracy in a way that is digestible for young readers. While they simplify complex topics, they provide a solid and factual foundation. Each book also includes timelines and bibliographies to encourage further exploration.
Why are some books “Who Was?” and others “Who Is?”
It’s a simple distinction: “Who Was?” titles feature historical figures who have passed away. “Who Is?” titles are biographies of influential people who are still living. This helps kids understand the concept of living history.
Can these books be used for school projects?
Absolutely. They are a perfect resource for book reports and biography projects. Each book clearly lays out the key life events, challenges, and accomplishments of its subject, providing an excellent framework for a student’s report or presentation. The timelines in the back are especially helpful for this.

Your Next Step: From List to Library

A list is a tool, but the real magic happens when a child opens a book and connects with a person from another time or place. Don’t worry about covering every name on this list. Start with one.
Use the curated lists to find a figure who aligns with your child’s current obsession—whether it’s soccer, painting, or building with LEGOs. The goal isn’t to teach a history lesson; it’s to show them that behind every great achievement, discovery, and work of art is a person with a story. By finding the right story, you can turn a simple biography into a grand adventure.